Retired American tennis player Pete Sampras also known as Pistol Pete is one of the famous players in the history of sports. He remained the world no. 1 player for a long time. He started his professional career in 1998 and is the first man to win 14 Grand Slam singles titles.

Famous For

As one of the greatest tennis players in the history of the tennis world.

Early Life of Pete Sampras

Pete Sampras was born in Washington, D.C., the United States of America as the third child to Sotirios (Sammy) and Georgia Sampras. He was born to a Greek father and a Polish Jewish mother in the U.S. while Georgia emigrated to the U.S. from Greece at the age of 25. His father worked as an aerospace engineer for the Department of Defense and was also a co-owner of a deli while his mother worked as a beautician at a local salon.

Since an early age, he was proving that he has an unbelievable athletic passion for tennis. By reaching to the three years of age, he found tennis racket in his house with whom he started practicing by hitting the ball against the wall.

There is no information about his education yet. He is American by nationality and belongs to Greece. He attended regular services at the Greek Orthodox Church on Sundays and would usually go out of their way to eat greek food.

Career of Pete Sampras

At the age of 16 in 1988, Pete Sampras started his professional career. He lost his first professional match with Sammy Giammalva, Jr. at the February Ebel U.S. Pro Indoor in Philadelphia. But he defeated two top 40- players at Lipton International Players Championships in Miami. He also played his first Grand Slam singles in US Open but he was defeated.

In 1989, Pete got defeated in his first match of Australian Open. However, he won his first Grand Slam singles in French Open. Following year he improved his ranking. He also participated in the US Open but he wasn't able to get a victory. In 1990, he came to the world no. 5 ranking after he played Australian Open. He defeated Andre Agassi in the Ebel U.S. Pro Indoor in Philadelphia in his first professional singles titles. How over he got his first Grand Slam Title at US Open in September by defeating Ivan Lendl in the final.

Pete won the first of his five career titles at the end of Tennis Master Cup in 1991. In the following year, he failed to win the US Open. For the first time in his whole career, he reached the final of the French Open and also became the runner up of US Open. Moreover, he also played the double along with John McEnroe on US team and won the Davis Cup. IN 1993, Petet reached semifinals of Australian Open whereas he just reached quarterfinals of French Open. After beating Jim Courier in the Wimbledon, he became the world no. 1 ranking. And also won the US Open. Well, he made a record in ATP that year as a player to serve more than 1,000 aces in a season. His victory continued in 1994 by winning Australian Open and Wimbledon.

In 1995 he won the US Open as well as Wimbledon and again became the world no. 1 player. Later in 1996 he just won the US Open title. In the following year, he failed to win the Wimbledon in his eight years period. However, he again won the Wimbledon championship in 1997 and 1998. Also, he won the Australian Open in 1997. Well, in 2000 he again became the world no. 1 by winning 13 major titles. Pete didn't win any major titles in 2001 and got ranked in the world no. 10 which is his lowest ranking since 1989. But he played very well in 2002 and won 14 major titles. The same year, he got retired from his professional career.

Significant Records Pete Sampras

At the time of his retirement, he held most of the important records in men's tennis. While some of those have been broken in recent years, he still has quite a few significant records to his name which are listed below:

The highest number of year-end finishes as World No. 1: 6

Most consecutive years ended as World No. 1: 6 (from 1993 to 1998)

Best winning percentage at Wimbledon in the Open Era: 90% (63-7 win-loss record)

One of only three players (along with Rafael Nadal and Ken Rosewall) to win a Grand Slam in his teens, 20s, and 30s

One of only three players (along with Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors) in the Open Era to win 5 US Open titles

Youngest US Open champion in the Open Era at 19 years, 28 days

One of only four players in the Open Era (along with Borg, Nadal, and Federer) to win a Grand Slam in 4 consecutive years (Wimbledon from 1997 to 2000)

Net Worth of Pete Sampras

Pete Sampras is estimated to be worth a staggering $150 million. He accumulated this all through his 14-year long career at the top of tennis, having participated and won prestigious events like the Australian and Wimbledon tournaments.

It is then no surprise that Sampras now lives a very luxurious lifestyle with a collection of Porshe cars and a mansion in the Lake Sherwood area of Ventura County, California. He also does a lot of charity work. He is a member of the American Cancer Awareness Society, Aces for Charity, and a benefactor of Vitas Gerulaitis Youth Foundation and Kids’ Stuff Foundation.

Personal Life of Pete Sampras

Regarding his personal life, Pete Sampras is currently living happily with his beloved wife and children. He married his wife Bridgette Wilson on September 30, 2000. His wife is an American actress as well as former Miss Teen USA. The couple is blessed with happy married life and has two children. They welcomed their first son Christian Charles Sampras on November 21, 2002. And later on July 29, 2005, they welcomed their second son Ryan Nikolaos Sampras. These days he lives with his family in Lake Sherwood, California. Besides this, there are no records of his other affairs. Moreover, there are no rumors of his divorce.

Body Measurements of Pete Sampras

Moving towards his body measurements, he stands a height of 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs around 84 kg. Similarly, his chest size is 40 inches, biceps size is 14 inches and waist size is 30 inches which makes him of body measurements 40-14-30 inches. Furthermore, He has a pair of brown eyes and black hair color.

Did You Know?

He is former world no. 1 American tennis player.

He won 14 Grand Slam singles titles, becoming the first player to break Roy Emersons record of 12 Slams.

He won 7 major indoor titles (5 ATP Year end World Championships and 2 Grand Slam Cups).

He won 20 of the 34 matches he played against Agassi.

He was an all-court player who would often serve and volley and he possessing an all-around skill.